Abs

Monday:

I was really tired after my race yesterday and went to bed for nearly two hours after lunch. I was a little bit sore in places, particularly my shins, but not too bad and that has gone today. But I am really sore in my abs and down my sides from planks.

I have really really weak stomach muscles. Since having two children (and not working on toning them) they are like overused knicker elastic. I can't do sit-ups/crunches or the ab machine at the gym because of my shoulder issues. I can, however, do those other ones where you lie on your back and raise and lower your legs ... but I only do that at the end of gym classes when they make me. So basically they are muscles that rarely get worked.

On Saturday night my daughter and I got down on the floor and did some planks together. She did over a minute with little effort (she said her arms got tired after a while) -- I just made it to thirty seconds with my torso trembling. We did three.

Yesterday afternoon a band low around my stomach was hurting. I confirmed that this was from the planks and not the race by trying to do another plank. It was agony! I barely made it to 10 seconds. I did a 30 second one on my knees, I don't know if girly planks are even a thing. Clearly I need to work on this area even more than I thought.

The upside is that I can actually do planks as a way to tone my stomach. Not for long, but my shoulders didn't bother me which is great.

My stomach is the part of my body I like the least. It is that part I see the most; either in the mirror or looking down. Clothes pinch at the waist or strain to fit over that area. And the sag of my inelastic lower stomach is especially unappealing. I know I also have to get rid of the fat, but it would nice to have a bit of tone underneath.

I'll start with three planks of 30 seconds every night.